DRILLING ENGINEERING I

MODULE-4
DRILLING FLUIDS

By
GAURAV HAZARIKA
SPT, PDPU
 DRILLING FLUID
API Definition

A circulating fluid used in rotary drilling to perform any or all the

various functions required in the drilling operation

Rotary drilling is impossible

Reference: Drilling Fluids/Mud and Components (weebly.com)

Phases of Drilling fluids

Continuous phase
Colloid phase
Chemical phase
Inert phase
Types of Drilling Fluids and Their Relative Densities
 TYPES OF DRILLING FLUID

Drilling
fluids

Water Oil Bases

Gaseous
Based Mud Mud
 Gaseous

Gaseous

Dry air or Aerated

Mist Foam mud
Gas muds
Specific gravities of various gaseous muds
 Gaseous

Dry air or gas

• Reduced to dust
• High velocities in annulus
• Possibilities of explosive
• Better cement job and completion

Mist
• Enhances cutting transports
• Foaming agent and small amount
of water
 Gaseous

Foam
• Most versatile of the gas
generated system
• Low air and fluid requirements

Aerated muds
• Initially designed as a
technique to lighten mud to
reduced lost circulation
Types of Flow Regimes
 Water Based Muds

Spud muds

Bentonite muds

Chemically treated muds

Water based
muds Calcium muds

Polymer muds

Salt muds

Emulsion muds
 Oil Based Muds

Oil muds

• It contain less than

Oil based muds 5% water

Inverted
emulsion muds
• It contain up to 50%
water
 FUNCTIONS
Controlling Formation Pressure

Cooling and lubricating the bit

Cleaning the bottomhole

Cutting Transport

Stabilizing the wellbore

Adequate formation evaluation

 Properties of Drilling fluids
Density
• Equivalent circulating density
• Control of mud weight
Rheological properties
• Viscosity
• Yield point
• Gel strength

Filtrate loss
• Factors affecting filtrate loss

Other properties
• Solid content
• pH
 Components of Drilling fluids
Weighting Fluid loss
Viscosifiers materials Thinners reducers
• Bentonite • Barite • Phosphates • Starches
• Attapulgite • Iron oxide • Tannates • CMC
• Polymers • Galena • Lignites • Other
• Calcium • Lignosulphona materials
carbonate tes
• Dissolved • Sodium
salts polyacrylate

Lost circulation
Emulsifiers Special additives
materials